Richard Archibald Zoll (December 10, 1913 – September 6, 1985) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

and tackle. One of three brothers who played football, he played in

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for the

Indiana Hoosiers The Indiana Hoosiers are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of Indiana University Bloomington, named after the demonym for people from the state of Indiana. The Hoosiers participate in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Coll ...

and later in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for the

Cleveland Rams The Cleveland Rams were a professional American football team that played in Cleveland from 1936 to 1945. The Rams competed in the second American Football League (AFL) for the 1936 season and the National Football League (NFL) from 1937 to ...

and

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

. He also played for the

Columbus Bullies The Columbus Bullies were a professional football team founded by Dean Carter in Columbus, Ohio, in 1938. The Bullies started out as a member of the American Professional Football Association (APFA) in 1939. Later, in 1940, the Bullies joined t ...

of the

American Professional Football Association The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

(APFA).

Early life

Zoll was born on December 10, 1913, in

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the head of Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the F ...

. The son of a stonecutter, he was one of seven children, and his two brothers –

Carl Carl may refer to: *Carl, Georgia, city in USA *Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community *Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name *Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of tel ...

and

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, were also professional football players, both being guards. He attended Green Bay West High School where he played

as a tackle from 1927 to 1930, debuting for the team when he was only 14 years old. As a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

in 1930, he was team

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. In addition to playing football for West, he also competed in

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

in the

shot put The shot put is a track-and-field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical Ball (sports), ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. For men, the sport has been a part of the Olympic Games, modern Olympics since their 1896 Summer Olym ...

and

discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field sport in which the participant athlete throws an oblate spheroid weight (object), weight called a discus in an attempt to mark a further distance than other competitors. It is a ...

. Zoll enrolled at

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

in 1931 and was a member of the

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...

football team his first year. He was described as the "outstanding lineman" of the 1931 Indiana freshman team. He worked at his father's stone business in the following off-season and entered the 1932 season weighing . He initially made the varsity football team as a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of Post-secondary school, post-secondary educatio ...

in 1932, but was then injured and missed the year. He returned to the team in 1933 and was awarded his first

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. A reserve who saw significant playing time, he received further letters in 1934 and 1935 and played his final season in 1936. He also competed in intramural

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

at Indiana and graduated in 1937.

Professional career

After going unselected in the

1937 NFL draft The 1937 NFL draft was the second draft held by the National Football League (NFL). The draft took place December 12, 1936, at the Hotel Lincoln in New York City. The draft consisted of 10 rounds, with 100 player selections, two of which would ...

, Zoll signed with the

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

. He made the team and became a starter midway through the 1937 season, which was the Rams' inaugural year in the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

. With the Rams having only 17 players on the roster, Zoll played at different times throughout the season at right guard, left guard, right tackle, and left tackle for the team. The Rams compiled a record of 1–10 in the 1937 season, with Zoll facing off against his hometown

twice. He appeared in all 11 of the team's games, starting in six. After his first season, he returned home to Green Bay and began working for his father's stone business as training for 1938. He continued playing for the Rams in 1938 and once again appeared in all 11 games, six as a starter, as the team compiled a record of 4–7. In the second-to-last game of the season, a loss to the

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ca ...

, Zoll converted one

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attempt in what was the only point of his career. On February 12, 1939, the Green Bay Packers traded

end End, END, Ending, or ENDS may refer to: End Mathematics *End (category theory) * End (topology) * End (graph theory) * End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) * End (endomorphism) Sports and games *End (gridiron football) *End, a division ...

Dick Yerby to the Rams in exchange for Zoll. He initially made the team. However, he was later released on September 26, 1939, after having appeared in only one game. The Packers went on to win the 1939 NFL championship. After he was released by the Packers, Zoll joined the

of the

(APFA) and appeared in six games, five as a starter, as the Bullies won the league title. They were the last team of his career, and thus Zoll finished with a total of 23 NFL games played, 12 as a starter, as well as six APFA games with five starts. Each of the three Zoll brothers played only one game for the Packers in the NFL.

Later life and death

After his football career, Zoll worked for the Northwest Engineering Company until retiring in 1979. He was a member of the

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE), commonly known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks, is an American fraternal order and charitable organization founded in 1868 in New York City. Originally established as a social club for m ...

and served as secretary-treasurer for the Packers Alumni Association for 13 years. He also worked for the Packers equipment department in the last years of his life. Zoll married Alice McAlpine in 1939 and had two sons with her. His sons, who were

twins Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of Twin Last Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two e ...

, both played football as linemen for Green Bay West High School, and Zoll's grandson played there as a lineman as well. Zoll died on September 6, 1985, in Green Bay, at the age of 71.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zoll, Dick 1913 births Players of American football from Green Bay, Wisconsin American football offensive guards American football offensive tackles Indiana Hoosiers football players Cleveland Rams players Green Bay Packers players 1985 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen Zoll family